The chocolate-chip sea star is named for the dark, pointy bumps on its arms. They look like chocolate chips. But scientists found something even cooler inside the sea star's arms.

Deep in the skeleton, at the tip of each arm, there are tiny cone-shaped parts. These parts work like fiber-optic cables. Fiber-optic cables are the technology that sends internet signals around the world. In the sea star, these parts collect light and send it deep into the animal's body.

A scientist named Ling Li was studying how sea stars build strong skeletons. He used an X-ray machine to look at the tips of the arms. He found 90 to 100 cone-shaped structures in each tip. They all pointed toward a hollow space inside.

Each cone is made of a single crystal of a mineral called calcite. Calcite bends light more than seawater does. When light hits the wide part of a cone, it bends inward. Then it bounces off the inside walls of the cone until it comes out the narrow end. This is the same way fiber-optic cables work.

The cones send about 70 percent of the light that enters them. They make the light up to eight times stronger. The sea star might use this light to find its way. Sea stars move toward light. This is called phototaxis. The sea star could compare how much light each arm gets. Then it knows which direction is brighter and moves that way.

But scientists are not sure the sea star really uses the cones to see light. No one has found light-sensitive cells under the cones yet. A scientist named Samuel Powell says a simple test could help. Just shine light at the sea star and see if it moves.

The cones also make the sea star's skeleton stronger. Computer models show that the cones make the tips three times stiffer than other parts. This is helpful because the arm tips are the most exposed parts. They scrape against rocks and might get bitten by predators. So having extra-strong tips makes sense.

The sea star shows that one structure can do two jobs: send light and strengthen the skeleton. That is pretty amazing.

Jackie, a famous bald eagle, died on August 10, 2026. She lived in Big Bear Valley in California. She was about 14 years old.

In mid-July, Jackie got into a fight with two young eagles. After the fight, people found her on the ground. She could not fly. A rescue team took her to a bird hospital for help.

At the hospital, doctors found that Jackie was very sick. She did not have enough red blood cells. This is called anemia. The doctors gave her oxygen and fluids. They also gave her a blood transfusion. Sometimes she seemed to get better. But then she got worse. The doctors did many tests. They never found out exactly why she was so sick.

Jackie was very important to people in Big Bear Valley. Her story began in 2012. Two eagles named Ricky and Lucy built a nest there. Jackie was their baby. She was the first bald eagle chick known to hatch in that valley. She learned to fly and left the nest.

Four years later, a female eagle came to the old nest. People thought it was Jackie. They named her Jackie. She soon had a partner named Mr. B. A camera was set up near the nest. People all over the world could watch Jackie and Mr. B live on the internet.

In 2018, a new male eagle came to the nest. His name became Shadow. Shadow did not leave. Mr. B went away. Jackie and Shadow became partners. They lived together for eight years. Millions of people watched them. They became one of the most famous eagle pairs in the world.

Jackie is gone now. But her nest is still there. Shadow has come back to the nest. He has been spending time with a younger eagle named Kaydee. Experts say it is too early to know if Shadow and Kaydee will become partners. People will have to wait and watch to see what happens next.